In one of their engagement pictures, Brian Edwards and Tom Privitere kiss with the New York City skyline in the background. The picture was altered and used to attack two Colorado legislative candidates. (Kristina Hill Photography, used with permission)

A gay New Jersey couple’s engagement picture was used in a mailer attacking Sen. Jean White. The Hayden Republican lost her primary race.

A gay couple and the photographer who shot their engagement picture are expected to file suit Wednesday over the use of the shot in two campaign mailers in Colorado’s primary election.

The image of Brian Edwards and Tom Privitere holding hands and kissing was altered in the attack mailings produced by the Virginia-based firm Public Advocate of the United States, with Colorado images replacing the Manhattan skyline.

Edwards and Privitere, of New Jersey, contacted The Denver Post earlier this year when a friend alerted them that their altered engagement shot was being used in political attack mailers in Colorado and had been written about by the newspaper. Their story, which went viral, created a sensation.

Lynn Bartels thinks politics is like sports but without the big salaries and protective cups. The Washington Post's "The Fix" blog has named her one of Colorado's best political reporters and tweeters.

Joey Bunch has been a reporter for 28 years, including the last 12 at The Denver Post. For various newspapers he has covered the environment, water issues, politics, civil rights, sports and the casino industry.